Charcoal sellers in Tema and Ashaiman are expecting a surge in sales as the strike by LPG outlets continues.
Their expectations are fueled by the temporary closure of gas stations across the country in protest of their dissatisfaction with a decision by the National PetroleumAuthority, NPA.
LPG stations have closed their outlets to sales since Monday 1, 2022, in a bid to impress NPA to lift the ban on LPG outlet establishment. The strike, per a visit to stations, is still in effect as both commercial and domestic gas users have been turned away by several stations they called to purchase gas.
However, contrary to the belief that charcoal sales will get a boost as a result of the development, many charcoal wholesale and retail points visited proved otherwise. According to the sellers, it is too early to feel the effect since the strike is just two days old.
Evelyn Dzanado, who sells charcoal at the Ashaiman-Zenu Market, told Atinka News that, sales presently have not changed that much. “We are not experiencing any positive change yet, it is too early to feel the impact. We are optimistic that sales will improve if the strike lasts for two weeks or three,” she emphasised.
NPA in 2017, placed a moratorium on the issuance of permit to individuals who intend to establish LPG outlets following the Atomic Junction gas explosion incident. Five years on, the ban still holds despite several appeals to lift it.
The development has compelled the sector players to embark on strike to call on the NPA to do the needful, saying the development has plunged many people, especially those who were building the station before the ban into debt and has also rendered a lot of people jobless.